This week, Jake and Bob begin a series on athletics, diving into the profound ways sports intersect with faith. Today, they are joined by Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa, a sports psychologist and former collegiate athlete. Together they explore the beauty of sports and how they can shape one’s identity, foster virtue, and offer opportunities for healing that extend far beyond the playing field. However, athletics present many challenges beyond just physical injury. They also discuss the dangers of over-identifying with athletic success or failure, the impact of parental and societal expectations, and emphasize the importance of rooting one’s identity in God’s unconditional love rather than achievements.

Key Points:

Femininity and masculinity can both find authentic expression through sports
Healthy competition in athletics can foster discipline, humility, perseverance, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence. Sports also offer an opportunity to practice and learn delayed gratification, sacrifice, and adherence to rules which are virtues that lead to human flourishing
Wounds can arise from sports through idolatry, performance culture, unhealthy comparison, or losing sight of the bigger story beyond the game
Sports rules do not restrict, but rather create the possibility of freedom and meaningful play, much like God’s laws facilitate human flourishing
The identity of athletes can become overly tied to performance and success, leading to struggles or loss of self-worth when results or careers end
Integrating faith and spirituality into sports helps athletes anchor their identity beyond achievement, rooting it in being a beloved child of God
The desire for perfection seen in sports reflects a deeper call toward holiness and striving for spiritual growth
Coaches and mentors play a significant, often formative, role in shaping not just athletic skills, but confidence, character, and motivation
Playfulness and joy in sports are glimpses of the freedom and delight intended for us by God, paralleling receptivity in the spiritual life

Resources:

Pax Perform Website
Dr. Nicole Gabana Chiesa’s email: paxperform@gmail.com
Gaudium et Spes
On the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life
Healing Professionals Virtual Workshop

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:05:49 Integrating Sports, Psychology, and Faith

00:08:00 Nicole’s Faith and Experience with Sports

00:17:06 Femininity and Athletics

00:20:51 Identity and Comparison in Sports

00:27:53 When Competition Becomes Unhealthy

00:32:14 Virtues of Sports

00:38:02 Personal Experiences of Virtue in Sports and Coaches

00:47:59 Rules, Sacrifice, and Community in Sports

00:51:28 Wounds and Dangers in Sports

00:54:43 Performance Culture and Identity Loss

00:58:16 Sports as Formation and Healing

01:11:25 Sports Draw Us Closer to God

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Sports, Athletics & Faith (Part 1) w/ Dr...